Racism, Apartheid, Democracy in Israel

Some say that Israel is a racist apartheid state. They claim Israel oppresses innocent Arabs while hiding its ugliness behind a self-styled ‘democracy.’

If you understood Apartheid, you’d know this is a lie. But most people don’t understand Apartheid. They accept the accusation as truth.

There’s just one problem. Israel might not be the racist you’ve been told it is; and much of the racism you find in Israel might not be directed against Arabs. It’s directed against Jews.

Consider two 2013 news stories from Israel. These stories happened about six weeks apart, in June-July, 2013. The first involved an Israeli amusement park. According to a report on one anti-Israel site, this story began when an Arab woman called the park to book a block of tickets for an Arab school for its preferred date (remember these words). The caller was refused that date. But when she called back later that day impersonating a Jew, the park accepted the booking for that same date.

Immediately, calls of ‘racism’ and ‘apartheid’ appeared. Haaretz, Israel’s premier anti-Israel newspaper, called this an example of two states existing within Israel, one for Jews, one for Arabs—in other words, Apartheid.

The amusement park offered an explanation. According to the anti-Israel media, the park explained that it wanted to ‘avoid friction between children’. The explanation was rejected. It was ridiculous—and racist.

A call was heard across Israel to defend Democracy. Leftists and Arabs wanted a formal investigation. Anti-Israel media used this incident to illustrate how the Arab in Israel is excluded, oppressed and humiliated.

The accusation was simple: this was racism. It was Apartheid. It was a threat to Israel’s beloved Democracy.

Was it? Look again at the amusement park’s explanation: it had excluded Arabs because of children’s ‘friction’. Do you know what that means?

It turns out that this incident, like so many others that are trumpeted by anti-Israel media, was not an example of Jewish racism towards the Arab. It was an example of Arab racism towards Jews.

Here’s the story: the amusement park in question once had an open-door policy. Arab groups could book tickets for any day the park was open—just like Jewish groups. But problems developed. Groups of Arab ‘children’ would harass Jewish children. Parents and chaperones for Jewish groups complained.

Therefore, to keep Arab children from harassing Jews within park limits, the park came up with a solution: no more mixing of Jewish groups with Arab groups. Arab and Jewish groups could visit the park—but on their own separate days. Arabs and Jews could have their preferred dates rejected.

Anti-Israel Leftists ignored these facts. Apparently, the facts of the case did not fit their agenda.

This incident did not illustrate Jewish racism towards the Arab. It illustrates Arab aggression against Jews. The anti-Israel, ‘pro-democracy’ set ignored this aggression. They ignored the safety of Jewish children. Instead, they shouted, ‘racism’.

That’s not ‘protecting democracy’. That’s called favouring one group at the expense of another; and if the unfavoured group is homogenous (Jewish), then the favouring of the other group (Arabs) is called, ‘racism’. Look it up.

The formula to call Israel racist is simple: take racist Arab behaviour and report it as racism committed by Jews.

The second story is also about racist behaviour in Israel. But for this second story, the pro-‘democracy’ and anti-Israel media were silent. Guess why.

This second story unfolded at the end of July, 2013. Israel’s press reported that all Jews would be barred from the Temple Mount between July 29 and at least August 11, the end of Ramadan. Officials gave no explanation for this decision.

Leading up to this, Arabs had become increasingly aggressive against Jews on the Mount. Jewish entry to the Mount had become almost impossible. Even Members of Knesset had been stopped. That included Moshe Feiglin, who had made monthly visit to the Mount for years without interference. Suddenly, he was barred from the Temple Mount.

The original 1947 United Nations plan for freedom of religion in Jerusalem was based on free access to holy sites (see Part III of UN Res 181). While that part of 181 was never implemented, Israel has nevertheless lived by those rules. Israel has committed to protecting freedom of religion for the Arab.

The Arab, however, rejects freedom of religion for the Jew. He doesn’t want a single Jew on the Mount, ever. For some unexplained reason, Israeli authorities have protected this Arab demand. They bar Jews from Judaism’s holiest site because the Arab demands it.

That’s called racism. But because it is directed against Jews, Leftists are silent. This silence reveals their hypocrisy: for them, democracy is strong if the Arab is racist towards Jews; but it’s a crime-against-democracy if Jews do anything against the Arab. That includes actions taken to defend Jews against Arab aggression.